DaptoFunlandGuy

Is there enough space for them to paint the steps like they've done at WWW?

Touching back on 'viability' of thrills in parks (mainly SW and WnW) - A water park is expected to have both sedate (pools, lazy rivers) and thrills. To say there isn't a market to support that is just incorrect. As for SW, up until recently, the park's top three mechanical attractions were roller coasters. I don't think it's fair to say that SW couldn't support a market for thrills also - however because of the park theme, it must be done with a little more finesse than just plonking down a coaster 'wherever it fits' ala MDMC. Take a look at the foreign SW parks and realise that most have their water coaster, their signature coaster, a few transport observation type rides, and several flats... TBH if SW didn't have the height limitation, I think it would be a perfect spot for a large Obs. Tower or Falcon's Fury type attraction... what a view!

I'm sure most have - but let's be honest - nobody is "rebuilding" anything - although there is a consortium that wants to build a new theme park in Sydney and capitalise on the memories and sentimentalists among the locals by calling it a similar name. You can see more info if you visit http://www.sydneyswonderland.com.au/ And I think 3 years is being optimistic at this stage... On topic, I don't think LPS has anything to worry about. They co-existed with Wonderland in the past. We've seen the park sit virtually stagnant (other than school holiday travelling rides), and now - with WnWS down the road, suddenly, hair raiser, ride retirement and removal, and talk of '5 year plans' for replacement and rejuvenation of the park. Competition breeds competition. So long as park management (on all fronts) are responsible in their spending, Sydney is more than capable of supporting several small to medium independent parks - in fact it is screaming for it. Any park that tries to be as big as Wonderland or as popular as Magic Mountain or attract the attendance of Disneyland has their head in the clouds and will surely sink. Wonderland stagnated because there was nobody to compete with. LPS had stagnated also - until WnWS came along. Even thinking back 10 years to our gold coast parks - and the attractions were few, and far between. Then we saw DW and MWSW launch salvo after salvo of new rides... if it happens, it can only mean good things.

Apology. We all have our bad days. That's no excuse. I just had a beef with someone external to the site regarding photographers and it carried over. It shouldn't have. For me, I saw Downunder's response to Richard's comments regarding hotlinking to be quite disrespectful. Although the policy has been put into effect it doesn't really seem to be managed. For the site owner to specifically state his reasons and for someone to specifically tell him to like it or lump it pissed me off. I also didn't mean to imply that a person needed qualifications in order to be a good photographer, I was just trying to give my own background on my viewpoint. In the end - it's not my issue, and I've let something get to me that really has no bearing on me. I can't see photos that are hotlinked in two of the three access points I have to this site, which is really my only issue - in that I can't see what others refer to unless posted here. FWIW I apologise to those I incorrectly and inappropriately directed my acid tongue this morning - and into the afternoon. I'll stick to hitting the 'report' button and leaving it up to those whose job it is to deal with it - and let them choose how they wish to do so. I think i'll take a self-enforced ban for a while...

My side note was unrelated to the current topic - it isn't all about you - i was being general. I worked as a professional photographer both in pro-labs and theme parks. I had tertiary qualifications in photography. I learned the hard way before digital filters and all the rest. My comments weren't, and aren't directed at anyone specifically, but just with the general notion these days that anyone with a <3 year old camera, or a DSLR is somehow worthy of screentime. I want to state that again - I was NOT directing that at ANYONE. ABP is a brand new corporate install this morning - it hasn't been customised in any way. I like it already.

It's not like you're on dialup and it takes 5 hours to upload them. Do you think you'll show em who's boss by withholding your updates from Parkz? This has already been debated in depth. As I've just delightfully discovered - AdBlockPlus actually blocks external images such as Flickr - so i'm already going without them - and to be honest - i'd much rather wait for a parkz update - taken with good quality cameras, and tongue firmly planted in cheek, happy to poke fun at the park while at the same time showcasing the changes. (Unrelated sidenote - i'm getting really jack of every kid with a digicam thinking he's a shit-hot photographer who deserves the exposure he craves.)

Ahhhhh.... The deployment of AdBlockPlus this morning considers hotlinked images to be an ad - and so it blocks them. Theres a ringing endorsement for uploading them directly to the site in line with the image policy...

Riveting... except the images didn't work...?

...for those people clearly unable to discern between a photograph, and a vegetable - I would point out that the photographer's contribution towards the discussion is amply more than your vegetative input. How bout giving them a break and just being thankful that someone is down at the park taking photos so your sorry ass doesn't have to. (And If you still take issue with it - how about you head on down there, and take a better shot!)

I'm due to get a haircut later this week.

Probably because you appear to come across overly critical about non issues, or hold viewpoints in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

<Earlier> So, to paraphrase, you don't see theming as vitally important - in otherwords, we don't really need it... or "it isn't necessary" (Otherwise it would be "vitally important"). But let's take "icing on the cake" for a moment... http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/icing+on+the+cake an extra enhancement something good that is added to another good thing http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/the-icing-on-the-cake something that makes a good situation even better By definition, you've described theming as 'something extra, to make a good thing better'. No matter which way you slice it, your 'icing on the cake' isn't going to get you out of this one. Either you're saying JDS is good, and the theming makes it better; or You're saying that BATRide, JL and LTRR would all be good rides, even with zero theming (ie: as I portrayed them earlier in big empty rooms) You can't have it both ways. I get the feeling you're being negative just to stand your ground on your earlier viewpoint to save face. If you look back into the early days of JDS - I was quite negative about the concept as well - bemoaning the loss of such a classic attraction for such a pathetic replacement... but it isn't. I've seen it grow and I recognise that this is a solid attraction suitable to younger kids - something MW is sorely lacking. You're sore that your children won't enjoy it. Or that you can't ride it freely. Tough titties. Everyone else on this board felt the same about it 18 months ago - however, most have come out and clearly retracted their earlier comments after seeing how well it's pulled off. You try to justify your different view by referring to yourself as being interested in theme parks, rather than a theme park fanatic - and yet YOU are the one carrying on like the typical theme park fanatics - always having a cry over something the park did that you don't like. If this were TPR, i'm fairly certain you'd have been blocked by Robb Alvey by now for your whinging and whining. Finally - to put this difference of opinions to rest - since the ride opened, how many times have you visited the park? if the answer is ZERO - then I invite you to experience the attraction before passing any further judgment.

*Facepalm* The photos are hotlinked.

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

'clicks photo' "Ouch! those photos are HOT"

Maybe he counts in Roman? I! II! III! IV! etc...

News.com has published an article on 10 things that never happened in Melbourne (like a sunny day, for instance). Number one on the list is the Werribee 'African Safari World' project. Does have an image I hadn't seen before, but it's the first i've heard that it was to rival Disney... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/what-happened-to-the-werribee-theme-park-10-grand-ideas-for-melbourne-that-never-got-built/story-fnpbvxki-1227066437175

^Yes - but i'm not suggesting ride experience isn't necessary - you are suggesting theming isn't.

So Dodgem Cars = Autopia? BigKev = Fail. And - 'flipping my example around' - I didn't change the physical ride experience of any of the four rides in my example - they were all the exact same PHYSICAL experience... Slowing superman down is not. Kev - you've lost this one old son. You're entitled to your opinion, and we're all entitled to tell you how wrong you are. Case dismissed. Let's break for lunch.

Whilst logic suggests the answer is no - I don't think there was a need to jump on him like that... his image has been used in all the promo material, and he is an Australian actor who COULD have been booked for such an event... even if only to do promo material.

the rules on the website state adults are allowed to drive their own car, without accompanying a child... not sure how you'd be viewed though.

Which one are you then? I'm assuming you're "just being interested" which doesn't correlate with your overly critical viewpoint. We are talking about a THEME park. And the ride is THEMED to be a mini movie world - in this case it IS vitally important to the ride. If we cast our minds back to LTRR - how important is it that there were animatronics and a storyline? Would the ride have been as good if it were just a boat ride through a big warehouse with industrial fluorescent lighting? TailSpin didn't need a catchy name, a backstory, or any of the buildings around it - you're right - that ride is definitely 'iced' with a theme... it doesn't need it - it stands alone... just like any other spin-and-spew you see at travelling carnivals and fairs... but theres a reason why carnies spend time and money airbrushing cool designs, people and characters onto their ride to fit the theme - because it makes it more interesting than just a piece of industrial steel. If you see all the rides stripped bare, without any consideration given to the effect the theme has on the overall attraction - then now it's starting to make sense on why your view is so skewed. You claim to love LTRR and BATRide more than JL3D and JDS... but answer me this - what is more enjoyable out of these 'no theming' attractions: Walking down a plain corridor, and sitting in a motion pod (BATRide) with no sound and no video on screen, and just being shaken about by the motion pod Walking down a plain corridor, and sitting in a boat (LTRR) whilst you go on a controlled journey through the empty soundstage shed Walking down a plain corridor, and sitting in a carriage (JL3D) whilst you go on a controlled journey through the empty showbuilding Walking into an empty warehouse, getting in a motorised buggy (JDS) with a bunch of your friends and driving around wherever you want to go, racing them from one side of the building to the other, bumping into them You know what? When it's all stripped to bare bones without a theme - JDS sounds like the most fun to me... I think thats the closest we're going to get to you admitting JDS is not a bad attraction. Dodgems is always busy when the park is busy. For all we know - Speedy and the rest of the WB gang in that corner may be earmarked to be removed in the future - we don't know. You repeatedly refer to JDS as a replacement for LTRR. Considering LTRR was removed several years ago and JDS has just opened (and tech services have used the warehouse for storage for quite a while), i think it's a tenuous connection at best to say it 'replaced' LTRR. A ride that is removed to make way for a new ride has absolutely been replaced- viz a viz Tail Spin was a direct replacement for Reef Diver - they had 'new ride coming soon' signs up before they'd even removed Reef Diver... There was no such signage or announcement when LTRR closed. As for whether it's popularity holds down the track - I ask you to take a look at Speedy's Taxis - in your eyes a very similar ride - that is still operating, with queues and countless happy parents hovering over the fence with cameras. Not bad for something over 20 years old, eh? So long as they keep 'mini movieworld' current with changes and developments to the park, I think they'll do alright. (Side note - I think it would be an AMAZING touch for MW to 'theme' Mini MovieWorld the same way they do for Christmas - snow patches, and lights everywhere, and a big tree in place of the fountain... I wonder how hard that would be?) As for the age group demographic - MW's website permits riders up to 12 years old to ride with a parent. Just because the 13 year olds you know wouldn't be interested, doesn't mean all of them wouldn't be. I would imagine 'older kids' would enjoy riding with a younger sibling (or riding separately and ramming them)... so I don't think the ride is going to lose popularity as you predict.

they don't appear to be hotlinked for me - they open like all the other parkz photos do... nevertheless - unless you OWN flikr... you can't guarantee the site won't lose them, go belly up or otherwise cease hosting your photos, and this is the precise reason the 'new' policy has been put into place.

are you talking about the shackles, or the white foam? Cufflinks are small clasps that hold a cuff. in this case he DOES have "cuff LINKS" but I don't think that's what you meant...

Can we just call it 'Jamberoo' or 'The Park' ? Otherwise talking about Jamberoo Action Park becomes incredibly disjointed everytime we say Jamberoo Action Park when talking about Jamberoo Action Park, it breaks up the flow of reading about Jamberoo Action Park every time it says Jamberoo Action Park... We can say WnW, and MW, and DW... why not JAP?